A Foreign Land
by shadowchild423
Summary: After the murder of 2nd Lt. Maria Ross, Edward quits the military, and takes Alphonse and Winry across the ocean to the south. What they find is a land where the people ignore the laws of Alchemy. People called Shinobi. EdXWin, AlXIno, NaruXHina. On Hiatus.
1. Across the Ocean

This is my first FMA story. Takes place after the murder of Maria Ross, and I honestly thought Edward would quit right then and there. So here is my version of what would happened.

Slightly OOC Edward

NarutoXFMA crossover.

* * *

It had all happened so fast. Maria Ross, subordinate to Lt. Colonel Hughes, had run by in a rush, with Barry the Chopper and Ling next to her. Barry told her to run while he held them off, but that had proved to be a fatal mistake. Edward ran around the corner to find the charred body 2nd Lt. Maria Ross lying on the ground. The smell of burnt flesh nearly gagged him, and he could only tell it was her because of the dog tag on her wrist. Edward turned to see Colonel Roy Mustang standing there, acting like nothing was wrong with what he had just done. Edward began to shake in rage as Alphonse and the others rounded the corner to see the scene.

"What the hell... WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED HERE!" Edward yelled as he grabbed the coat of the Colonel. Mustang unleashed a right straight into Edward's cheek.

"You would dare touch a superior officer?" Mustang asked, and Edward snapped. He transmuted his arm into a blade and went to swing at Mustang when Alphonse grabbed him from behind.

"No, brother, you can't!" Al said as he subdued Ed. Ed struggled.

"Mustang, you bastard! Do you know what you've done! You fucking bastard!" Edward screamed at the man as Mustang walked away. Edward slumped against the metal chest of his brother, almost crying in frustration with the military. This was not the first time the military had revealed itself to be less than what Ed had expected. He remembered the 5th research institution, and the awful things that gone on there, or when President Bradley himself had gone to rescue the Elric brothers from the hands of 'Greed,' and had killed someone Alphonse was trying to protect.

It was then that Edward knew what he was going to do. He was done with the secrets and the lies of the military. He was done with this land. There was nothing left here to keep here, besides Winry. But he had to figure out where he was going to go first.

* * *

Edward knocked on Winry's door.

"Winry?" He asked. There was no answer. He knocked again. "Winry, you in here?" He called, but no answer.

"She must have gone out." Al said, and Edward nodded. They went back to their room.

"Jeez, we left in such a hurry that we didn't even lock our door. We're idiots." Ed said as he looked around the room to see if anything was stolen. Nothing was missing, except for one thing.

"Nothing is stolen." Alphonse said as he looked around, and Ed put his face in his hand.

"The newspaper is gone. Dammit." He said, and they sat on the couch, thinking about what had happened while they waited for Winry to return. Edward took out an Atlas and looked at it closely. There was an ocean to the south of Aerugo, and, to current knowledge, nobody knew what was beyond it. Edward grinned. He knew where he was going to go.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, and both Ed and Al rushed to the door, throwing it open.

"Winry?" They said, and the bellhop fell back against the wall in surprise.

"Mr. Elric? You have a call downstairs." The bellhop said, and Edward was confused for a moment. Who would call them?

* * *

The Elric brothers arrived at the Hughes' house, knocking on the door. The waited for a few moments before Mrs. Hughes opened the door.

"Hello, boys. Winry is in the kitchen with my daughter." She said, and the boys walked in.

"Winry." Ed said when he saw her, and the blond girl turned toward him. "We've come to pick you up." He said, and Winry nodded sadly.

"Yeah, sorry." She said. Ed put a hand on her shoulder, and shook his head.

"Don't worry about it." He said to Winry, before turning to Mrs. Hughes. "I have something I would like to tell you, and if it is alright, I'd like Winry to be here with us." He said, and nodded.

* * *

"You see, because we asked Lt. Colonel Hughes to help us, he was killed because he knew too much by whoever killed, and I'm pretty sure that 2nd Lt. Maria Ross did not kill him." Edward said. "If pursuing the goal of getting out bodies back is going to get people killed, then we are going to give it up. Next could be Mustang, or Armstrong, or even you, Winry. I don't know what I would do if you died." Edward said, putting his face in his hands. Alphonse put a hand on his brother's shoulder in sympathy.

"Dying to help other people, that sounds like my husband. He was always sticking his nose into other people's business, hoping to lend a helping hand." Mrs. Hughes said with a small, reminiscent smile on her face. "Please continue to look for a way to get your bodies back. If you don't, my husband's death will have been in vain." She said, smiling sadly at the Elric brothers. Edward nodded silently, before looking over to Winry. She nodded, and they left silently. As they walked down the street, Edward looked up into the window where they had been talking, and saw Mrs. Hughes crying. Edward turned away, coming close himself.

* * *

Edward was lying on the bed while Winry polished Alphonse's armor.

"What do you think we should do, Winry?" Edward asked, and Winry looked at him for a moment. "What?"

"You've never asked my input before." She said, and smiled slightly. Edward couldn't help but smile himself.

"Oh."

"I don't know. I don't want you guys to get killed. You journey is dangerous, and if you disappeared from my life, I don't know what I would do." She said, and Edward nodded, knowing that he would give his goal up then. "But I thought about what you said at Mr. Hughes' house, and I don't want you to give up on having your bodies again." Winry said with a sad smile on her face as she turned back to Edward from her work. Edward watched Winry for a moment, before nodding. Winry went back to polishing Alphonse's armor.

"Well, I know what I am going to do." He said, and Winry looked up at Edward in curiosity. Alphonse also turned to Edward. "There is an ocean far to the south. No one knows what is across it. I want to find out. I am quitting the military. I watched Mustang murder the wrong person for killing Hughes, a young woman. I was disgusted. The military can keep their damn secrets, I'm done with them. I'm going to take Alphonse, and we are going to sail across the ocean." Edward said, and Alphonse was surprised. He had no idea about this plan. He turned to Winry, who looked like she was about to cry.

"If you disappear across the ocean, how is that any better than you dying, you idiot!" Winry said as she attacked Edward. Ed was not in the mood to deal with Winry's anger, and grabbed both of her wrists, which brought her close to him, her face only inches away from his. He stared into her eyes for a few moments before speaking.

"I want you to come with us, Winry." Edward said, and Winry was stunned, as was Alphonse. He never seen his brother exhibit any sort of interest in Winry, especially not romantically, and now, suddenly, he was. Winry blushed and looked away.

"But what about Grandma and my apprenticeship?" She asked, and Edward release one of her hands and brushed a lock of blond hair from her face. Winry's blush deepened.

"I know it will be hard, but I want you to come with us. I want to bring with us to keep you safe. Besides, I will need an automail mechanic, and you built these, so you know them better than anyone." Edward spoke softly. Winry turned in anger.

"Is that all I'm good for, Edward? My auto-mechanic skills?" She asked, and Edward laughed

"No. I want your company. Your auto-mechanic skills are just a bonus." He said, and Winry looked into the short boy's eyes. She kind of wanted to kiss him right there, but she didn't know if he would allow that. Plus, Alphonse was standing right there, looking embarrassed. She jumped when there was a knock at the door. Alphonse opened the door, and there stood Major Armstrong. He attempted to punch Alphonse, who stepped out of the way. Major Armstrong noticed how Ed and Winry were standing.

"Ah, the springtime of youth! How amazing it is!" Armstrong said, and Winry and Ed immediately separated, both blushing. Armstrong walked up to Ed, and Edward help his hand up in a 'stop' motion.

"Before you say anything, Major, I am quitting the military. Whatever Mustang ordered for me is moot point. Here" Edward tossed his State Alchemist's watch and his badge to the Major. "I am done. After Mustang killed Maria Ross, I wanted no part of this damnable organization anymore." Edward said, and the Major began to cry dramatically.

"But, young Master Elric, where will you go?" He said, and Edward turned his eyes away from the crying mass of muscle.

"I am taking Winry and Alphonse and sailing across the ocean." He said, and Winry nodded. Though she had not given her official okay, she knew she was going. She wanted to be with Edward and Alphonse, even to the ends of the earth. Armstrong nodded with a smile.

"Ah! Exploration! A noble goal. I will inform the Colonel of your resignation." He said. Ed stopped him before he could leave.

"Tell that bastard that it his fault that I am quitting. Tell him, someday, I will be back to give him some payback for that punch he gave me." Edward said with a small smile, and Armstrong nodded before leaving.

"Where are you going?" A voice sounded from behind them. Edward jumped and turned quickly, to see Shin standing there.

"No where that you can follow." Edward said, and Shin frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"We are sailing across the ocean. You can't come with us." Edward stated, and Shin nodded.

"No, I suppose that wouldn't help me in my journey of immortality." He said, and leaped out the window. Edward sighed slightly.

"I suppose that closes two problems." He said, and turned to Alphonse and Winry. "Al, we need to tell Master. Winry, you need to tell your Master and your Grandma. In the mean time, Al, I want you study on how to make sturdy sea vessels, and I'll study up on how to sail a ship. Winry, I need you to study on how to steer a ship and to know your directions. We will leave at the end of next month." He said, and the two nodded firmly.

* * *

(1 Month and two weeks later)

Winry sat on the railing of the grand ship that Alphonse had built with his Alchemy. Edward was currently rigging the ship correctly and Alphonse was loading the ship with supplies. On the dock, Pinako, Izumi, and her husband stood, watching them. Pinako was crying slightly and Izumi looked impressed with the ship. When the boys finished, Winry, Edward, and Alphonse went down to say last goodbyes.

"She sure is an impressive ship, Alphonse." Izumi said, and Alphonse scratched his helmet in embarrassment.

"I designed to be run by only three people, so we should be fine. We loaded a year and a half's worth of supplies on board, and Brother learned how to sail a ship correctly. Winry learned how to steer the ship and we plan to take shifts." Alphonse said, and Izumi patted the big armored suit of a boy on the shoulder.

"Sounds like you guys have everything planned out pretty well. Edward, is that new automail?" She asked, and Edward nodded.

"Winry designed it for me, it's lighter and more durable than my first set." Ed said, and Winry looked proud. Pinako admired it as she hugged Winry first, then Ed, and then Alphonse.

"I'm going to miss you kids. You have always been in my life, and I pretty much helped raise you two boys. Take care of yourselves." Pinako said. Izumi put her arms around both boys.

"You boys were the closest thing I had to children. Take care of yourselves. Get strong in whatever land you find, because I'll be testing you when you get back. You will be coming back, right?" She asked. Edward grinned and nodded.

"Of course, we will come back someday. We'll be so strong, that we'll topple the corrupt government and kick everyone's ass. And I bet Winry will be such a good mechanic that she will start the most successful automail business ever." Edward said, and Winry nodded with a smile. After one more set of hugs, the group said their goodbyes, and the three boarded the ship. Edward waved goodbye as they disembarked, and they set out on their long journey.

* * *

There you go, the end of the first chapter. Please R&R and let me know if there is anything I can improve on.


	2. A New Home

Chapter 2

"Speech"

**"Demon Speech**"

_Thinking/flashback_

Jutsu Name

In the Naruto time line, this will start during the Immortal Twins arc. Thank you, Naruto Wikia and FMA Wikia for the definitions present in this chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or FMA, or any of the characters. I do own this story and any characters that are unique to this story.

* * *

(6 months later)

Edward was tired. He was tired of the damn boat, he was tired of the damn ocean, and most of all, he was tired of the damn rocking. He was tired of drinking milk(Winry had made him drink it every day), he was tired of sleeping on an uncomfortable mattress, he was tired of working on the damn ship all the time. He was tired of his now-to-short-for-him automail limbs. He didn't want to make the connection, but he had grown a good four inches since he had started drinking milk. He hated the nasty taste, but it helped. He wondered if he could get his calcium some other way. The only good thing that had come out of this whole damn trip had happened about two months after they had disembarked.

_(Flashback)_

_It was storming on the ocean, and the waves were threatening to capsize the ship. Edward, Winry, and Alphonse were fighting their hardest against the ocean currents, trying to fight through the storm. The storm had snuck up behind them, and they had to bind the sails in order to let the storm pass over them. Ed was currently trying to bind the front sail while Alphonse was busy binding the back, and Winry was struggling to keep the wheel straight. Lightning flashed over head, and Alphonse turned to Ed._

_"Brother! We have to get inside the cabin! That lighting is going to be attracted to our metal!" He yelled over the storm, and Ed nodded._

_"Yeah, I know! Let me finish binding this sail and I'll-" He never finished when lightning struck his arm, blasting him off the mast and into the ocean. Winry screamed out his name as Alphonse literally jumped off the mast onto the deck and ran to the side to look for him._

_It was cold. Edward opened his eyes and they stung like hell from the salt in the water. He was about ten feet underwater. He tried to move his body, but it wouldn't move. Everything hurt, it even hurt to think. Suddenly, he felt something hit his arm. He looked over and saw a life-preserver. He grabbed, wincing at the pain, and held on for dear life. He felt the tug as he was pulled to the surface, and pulled him up to the ship. Alphonse pulled him over the railing, and Edward coughed up water as he struggled to sit up. Winry grabbed him as Alphonse took the wheel and took him inside the cabin. She put him on the bed, and hugged him tightly. Ed felt the heat of her tears trail against his neck as she hugged him._

_"You idiot! I thought I lost you!" She said, and Edward chuckled._

_"I told you, I would never leave you alone." He said, and she hit his chest. He smirked and sat up. She still hugged him, and he put his arms around her._

_"You... If I had lost you... I don't know what I would do. I'd be lost... I'd..." She trailed off as she cried. Ed broke the hug and lifted her chin with his normal hand._

_"I told you, I will protect you. I can't do that if I die, can I?" He said, and Winry jumped him, pressing her lips to his suddenly. Edward's eyes went wide as he fell back to the bed. Winry was kissing him, that was the only thought that ran through his mind. She broke her kiss, and put her head on his chest._

_"Idiot. I don't want you to just protect me." She said softly, and Edward smiled. He was suddenly tired, and his eyes slowly closed as he fell to sleep._

_(End Flashback)_

Ed smiled at the memory. He and Winry had gotten a lot closer since that day she had decided to come to Central with them. Before that, he had never noticed her as a woman. She was always Winry, the girl they grew up. She was always like a sister to him, until he noticed what a beautiful women she had grown into. Edward sighed. He hated this damn boat.

Overhead, Alphonse was in the crow's nest with a spy glass. He jumped when he saw something. It looked like a mountain. He leaned over the railing and called out "Land ho!" Edward glared at him and Alphonse laughed. "Sorry, Brother, I've just always wanted to say that."

"You still act like a kid, Al." Edward said as he sighed. Land. So there was something across this god-forsaken ocean. Edward pushed off the railing and went into the cabin to wake Winry. She was asleep in the bed, and Edward sat on the bed next to her.

"Winry, it's time to wake up." He said as he shook her lightly. She moaned and turned away.

"Five more minutes, Ed..." Winry groaned out. Edward smiled, and shook her again.

"Come on, Win. Al spotted land."

"I said fi-" She stopped as she shot up. She turned and looked at Edward. "Did you say land?" She asked, and Edward laughed and nodded. She threw her arms Edward and laughed. "Finally, Ed! We get to get off this god-forsaken boat! I get to put my feet on solid land! I get to TAKE A SHOWER!" She said as she laughed. Edward laughed with her, and nodded.

"Come on, Win. Let's get ready to set foot on land." He said, and walked out, and taking the wheel again. Winry followed him after a few minutes, dressed in one of Ed's jackets over a tank-top and a pair of jeans. She bounded up to the railing and peered over, and, soon enough, land was in sight. Edward grinned at the sight. Nothing had ever looked more beautiful.

When they were a few hundred feet off of shore, they cast out their anchor and took the long-boat out to shore. After beaching the boat, Winry ran onto the beach and started kissing the sand.

"Mwa! Mwa! Mwa! I've missed land so much!" Winry claimed while Edward and Alphonse laughed and finished shoring the boat. They looked around. There was a cliff side to their left, and a long beach-head to their right. Ahead of them, there was a thick forest. They looked at each other, and nodded. The three decided to go into the forest to see if they could find any civilization, or at least a stream where they could bath in.

* * *

Several miles later, Edward stopped dead when he heard one of the tree branches nearby rumble. He took a defensive stance in front of Winry, with Alphonse behind her. Suddenly, a shape bound out of the trees, and aimed a strike at Edward. Ed ducked his head to the left and kicked out with his auto-mail leg. The assailant blocked the kick with his forearm and jumped back.

"Who are you! Which village are you from!" The man asked. He was a younger guy, looking to be in his late twenties to early thirties. He had a mask over his mouth and nose, and a headband with a metal strip, which had a strange symbol on it, over his left eye. His hair was silver that parted to one side, and he wore a pair of black slacks, a blue, long sleeved shirt, and a green vest with many pockets on it. He wore a belt with many pouches on them. His shoes were strange, like sandals, but they wrapped up to the top of his calves. Edward frowned.

"What are you talking about?" Edward asked, and Alphonse spoke up.

"What my brother is trying to say is that we are not from this continent. We come from the far north." Alphonse said, and the man eyed them suspiciously. He had seen the ship they arrived in, and guessed that they were telling the truth, with the weird way they were dressed.

"I'll take you to our leader. She'll know what to do with you." The man said. He motioned them to follow him, and the three shared a look before following behind him.

"My name is Alphonse Elric. This is my brother, Edward Elric, and this is our friend, Winry Rockbell." Alphonse said to the man. The man had pulled out a book and was reading it. He turned back to three, and his one visible eye turned into an 'eye-smile.'

"Yo. My name is Kakashi Hatake." Kakashi said, and Edward snorted. Kakashi raised his eyebrow toward the boy.

"Weird name. Sounds like the names from Xing." Edward said, and Kakashi shrugged and continued to read his book.

* * *

After several dozen miles(Winry had insisted she be carried after a while), they came out of the forest to see a grand wall. Edward nodded. This wall reminded him of the great cities of his country.

"This is Konohagakure no Sato. It is the greatest of the five nations, and is located in Hai no Kuni." Kakashi said absentmindedly while he walked. Winry looked fascinated by the gigantic wall and the gate to the city. There was a guard booth to one side. Kakashi approached it, and the three followed behind closely. "Kakashi Hatake reporting with three foreigners to Hokage-sama." Kakashi said monotonously. The two guards nodded and allowed them entrance. Edward looked around as they walked down the main street of the village. It was a big city, with a lot of tall buildings as well as smaller ones. They passed a noodle shop where a loud blond haired boy wearing black and orange was asking for more ramen. Edward noticed the looks they were receiving. And by 'they' he meant 'Alphonse.' Since Alphonse was a good six to eight inches taller than Kakashi, and was walking around as a giant armored suit, he was getting some looks. Edward and Winry were getting a few looks too, mostly because of their blond hair. It seemed that blond hair was a rarity in this city.

"Wait, didn't you call this a village?" Edward asked, and Kakashi nodded absentmindedly. Ed face-planted. "THEN WHAT THE HELL IS A CITY TO YOU PEOPLE!" He yelled. Kakashi looked back at him.

"What do you mean, 'you people?'" He asked, and Alphonse raised his hands reflexively. He was used to covering his brother's mistakes.

"What he means is, this is about the size of one of our large cities, yet you call it a village." Alphonse said, and Kakashi shrugged.

"It is a called a village because it was a village when it was founded. It has just grown since then." Kakashi answered. They continued to walk until the reached a tall tower next to a mountain with five faces carved along the front of it. They walked in and a woman about Kakashi's age was sitting behind a desk, filling out paperwork. She nodded to Kakashi, who motioned to the three behind him. She nodded and motioned him upstairs. Kakashi went upstairs and knocked on a door. They heard a grunt and some scrambling, before the command 'enter.'

Once inside, they saw a young woman, probably thirty, behind a desk. She had long blond hair, a jewel on her forehead, and giant pair of... well... you know. Edward twitched at the sight. This was the village's leader?

"Kakashi, who are these three?" The woman asked, and Kakashi bowed.

"Hokage-sama, I found these three while on patrol. They claim to be from across the ocean to the north." He said, having put his book away. The woman stood up and walked over, looking the three up and down.

"What are your names?" She asked, and Alphonse spoke first.

"My name is Alphonse Elric." He said. She looked up at him, and seem to analyze his armor.

"I'm Edward Elric." Ed said offhandedly. Tsunade smirked as she looked down at him. He was about her favorite blond's height.

"My name is Winry Rockbell, Hokage-sama." She said, and Tsunade raised an eyebrow at the girl. She looked a lot like Ino.

"So, you three are from across the ocean to the north? I thought that the people that far north were savages." She said, and Ed frowned at the woman.

"From what I have seen, we are more technologically advanced than you are." He said, and she raised an eyebrow.

"My name is Tsunade Senju. I am the leader of this village. Do you three need a place to stay? Because I can make you three citizens of Konoha if you wish." She said, and Edward and Alphonse shared a look. "What are your skills?"

"My brother and I are alchemists and trained fighters." Edward said.

"I am an auto-mail mechanic." Winry stated.

"Alchemist? What are alchemists? And what is auto-mail?" Tsunade asked, and Edward's eyes went wide.

"You don't know what Alchemy is?" He said in surprise, and then grinned. He would show these folks the awesomeness of alchemy. He clapped his hands together and slapped them on the ground, and a staff of wood with a metal blade popped out of the ground. He grabbed it and handed it to the Hokage, who looked at it with awe. "Alchemy is the ancient science of manipulating and altering matter by using natural energy. This act is known as "Transmutation." The base of Alchemy is known as 'Equivalent Exchange.' Equivalent Exchange has two parts to it. First, The Law of Conservation of Mass which states that energy and matter can neither be created from nothing nor destroyed to the point of elemental nonexistence. In other words, to create an object weighing one kilogram, at least one kilogram of material is necessary and destroying an object weighing one kilogram would reduce it to a set of parts, the sum of which would weigh one kilogram. Second, The Law of Natural Providence which states that an object or material made of a particular substance or element can only be transmuted into another object with the same basic makeup and properties of that initial material. In other words, an object or material made mostly of water can only be transmuted into another object with the attributes of water. It would take years to properly explain Alchemy to you, but that is the basics. I can basically make things out of something else. I can repair objects easily, as well as destroy them. And, as for auto-mail." Edward said, and pulled off his jacket, revealing his auto-mail arm. "This is auto-mail."

Tsunade examined the piece of equipment with awe. This metal arm had replaced the boy's arm, apparently. She glanced at Winry. "And you can make these replacement limbs?" She said, and Winry nodded. Tsunade smirked at Kakashi. "Imagine what we can do with shinobi that have lost limbs? Make this auto-mail out of chakra conductive metal, and it was like they never lost anything." Tsunade said, and Kakashi's eye went wide with the possibilities. They could rig the auto-mail to explode once the user of was dead, since they didn't want other countries to get this new technology. They could put shinobi who were once out of commission back onto the front line in no time. "Winry Rockbell, would you like to open a business here?" Tsunade asked, and Winry nodded eagerly.

"Can we talk about this more in-depth later, though? I am really tired and would REALLY like a shower." Winry said, and Tsunade nodded. She turned to the two boys.

"Besides alchemy, what else can you two do? You said you were trained in fighting." Tsunade asked. Ed nodded with a grin.

"We are trained in martial arts as well. Our master was inhumanly strong, and we had to spar her every time we saw her. She is probably one of the strongest fighters in our country." Ed said, and Tsunade smiled.

"Good to know there are strong women in other lands as well. Well, I can hire you as shinobi of our village if you would like?" Tsunade said. Alphonse and Edward shared a glance.

"The land where I came from, I was in the military there. There were too many secrets and lies for me to stand. I left after my superior killed one of my comrades because she was falsely accused of killing his friend." Edward said. "Is being a 'shinobi', whatever that is, going to be similar?"

"There are lies and secrets in every military organization, Elric-san. But we will generally not lie or keep too many secrets from our own troops. What was your rank in your military?" She asked.

"All state alchemists were at least Major rank." Edward said, and Tsunade raised a brow. Major at the age of sixteen was a major feat.

"At what age did you join the military?"

"I was twelve." Edward stated, and Tsunade nodded. His case was similar to most shinobi, who started at twelve.

"Well, if you two are willing, I will make you two genin, which our low ranking shinobi, because a certain blond genin we have needs a team." Tsunade said, sharing a look with Kakashi. "You two will first attend our Academy classes for a year to learn the basics of being a shinobi. Since this alchemy is an impressive feet, you won't need too much training. I do want you two to learn ninjutsu and genjutsu though. I also will test your fighting skills at the end of your class." She said, and Edward nodded. It was a fair deal. Though he had a good few questions.

"Well, let's start from the top. What the hell is 'Ninjutsu' and 'Genjutsu,' and what is a 'shinobi?'" Edward asked. Tsunade nodded.

"I suppose you don't know what Chakra is, do you?" She asked, and Edward and Alphonse shook their heads. "We'll start there. Chakra is essential to even the most basic jutsu; it is a mixture of the physical energy present in every cell of the body and the spiritual energy gained from exercise and experience. Once mixed, it can be channeled through the chakra circulatory system, which is to chakra as the regular circulatory system is to blood, to any of the 361 chakra points in the body. Through various methods, the most common of which is hand seals, the chakra can then be manipulated to create an effect that would not be possible otherwise, such as walking on water. Iruka, our Academy teacher, will teach you about hand seals. Ninjutsu refers to any technique that utilizes chakra and allows the user to perform actions that a normal person otherwise would be incapable of doing. Some ninjutsu allows the user to breath fire, or create water, or even thwart death itself. Genjutsu is the use of chakra to make illusions on the target, making them see things that aren't there. It is a very effective way of disabling and opponent, but also very hard to master." Tsunade finished.

Ed and Al shared a look. This ninjutsu was powerful, more powerful than alchemy in some ways. It ignored the law of Equivalent Exchange, and also could actually create matter. If the Elric brothers could find a way to fuel their alchemy with this chakra, they could possibly use the chakra as the gateway fee to get their bodies back.

"I think we have a lot of information we could exchange, but, like Winry said, we are very tired and would all like a shower." Edward said, though this was not true for Alphonse, who didn't have a body to shower. They had decided silently that no one needed to know Alphonse's only body WAS the suit of armor unless it came up, mostly to avoid any sort of weirdness.

"I understand. You three can have private use of the Hokage hot springs, and then Kakashi will show you to an apartment. I will have it paid for until you can support yourself." Tsunade said, and Winry and Alphonse bowed, while Edward just smiled.

"Thanks, Hokage." Edward said as he walked out, and Winry and Alphonse followed hurriedly, berating the blond alchemist for being rude. Tsunade sighed.

"That boy is just like Naruto. Kakashi, show them to the hot springs and then to an apartment." She said, and Kakashi bowed.

"Hai, Hokage-sama."

* * *

Well, that is chapter 2. Next chapter, Edward and Alphonse meet Naruto and Sakura, while Winry meets Tenten, and starts her business. R&R please.


	3. First Meetings

Chapter three! Edward and Alphonse start the Academy and meet their new teammate. Winry gets a store and meets a few new people herself.

"Speech"

**"Demon Speech**"

_Thinking/flashback_

Jutsu Name

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or FMA, or any of the characters. I do own this story and any characters that are unique to this story.

For a look at the geographies of the two lands separately, here are a couple of links to maps.

Naruto: http:(slashslash)www(dot)leafninja(dot)com(slash)country(dot)php

FMA: http:(slashslash)i156(dot)photobucket(dot)com(slash)albums(slash)t34(slash)shadowchild423(slash)Hundes_Map_by_mellonemrys(dot)jpg

Basically, the trio went down through Aerugo and built the ship there. After they finished, the set out south across the ocean. They came down on the right side of Lightning country. They went south of Whirlpool Country but north of Wave Country, and landed right at the edge of that hump.

* * *

The next day, Ed, Al, and Winry returned to the Hokage's tower, and, for several hours, they exchanged information. Edward and Alphonse explained Alchemy more in depth and focused mostly on its uses and its weaknesses. Winry explained how auto-mail was made and the materials she would need to make it. Tsunade explained Ed and Al's position and duties in the shinobi force, as well as explaining the duties of the positions they would eventually get to. She also took notes and made appointments to speak with certain individuals about materials for Winry's new shop, as well possible employees. With such a useful business that the girl would be overseeing, Tsunade wanted it to be able to produce as much as physically possible, as well as allow a few people in Konoha learn the ways of making auto-mail should the three ever leave.

"Edward, Alphonse, tomorrow is Monday, and you two will start your academy class then. After class, you two will meet your future teammate as well as the team he is currently on. You two and the young man will get to know one another, because you are going to go through the Chunin exams together, which is in two months. You won't be done with your class, but you will know enough about the shinobi way to be able to fight your way through it. At the end of the month, you will be tested. If you two can do the three basic techniques taught at the academy as well as provide a decent match against one of our chunin, then you will be allowed to take the exam." She said, and Ed and Al looked at each other.

"Looks like we are starting from the bottom, eh, brother?" Edward said, and Alphonse just nodded. Winry raised her hand, and Tsunade looked at her.

"Hokage-sama, may I also attend the academy?" She asked, and Edward and Alphonse did a double-take. Tsunade raised an eyebrow.

"We will need your auto-mail. Why would you want to attend the academy?" She asked, and Winry's face hardened into a look of determination.

"Because I don't want to force these two to protect me forever. I want to be able to protect myself and let these two focus on things that are more important." She said, and Edward sighed. He didn't want Winry to get hurt.

"Very well, you may attend the Academy along with Edward and Alphonse. Be advised that learning the basics won't get you far in the real shinobi world. If you want to be a true fighter, you have to learn other techniques as well." Tsunade said, and Winry nodded.

"I'll do whatever it takes, Hokage-sama. But I don't want to be a shinobi. I want to be able to make Auto-mail as well." She said, and Tsunade nodded.

"Now, do you three have any questions?" Tsunade asked, and the three shook their heads in a resounding 'no.' "Alright, you may go then. Shizune! Please call in Naruto Uzumaki, Tenten Higurashi, Sakura Haruno, and Kakashi Hatake." She said, and Shizune peaked around the corner.

"Hai, Hokage-sama."

* * *

Edward sighed as he and Winry ate. Tsunade had given them some money to eat, so they chose a barbecue place they had seen four people go into. Alphonse was mostly just sitting there, talking with Winry as she ate. It was good, but he was not thinking of the food. He was wondering how things were going back home, if they had ever done anything about the homunculus, or if anything interesting had happened. He also wondered what things would be like when they returned. Edward turned to Winry, to was polishing off a rib.

"Winry, when is my new arm and leg coming?" He asked offhandedly. Winry turned to him with a mouthful of rib.

"I only got the measurements this morning. It might be a while depending on how fast I can get materials." Winry said, and Edward felt his face redden slightly on thoughts of last night.

-FLASHBACK TIME!-

_Edward threw his towel on the couch that was in the apartment Tsunade had rented them. After they had gotten here, he and Winry had gone to the hot-springs while Alphonse volunteered to stay behind and unpack things that had been delivered to the apartment already. Tsunade had hired some chunin to unpack the ship they came in, and she made the anchor more permanent so the ship would not float away. Edward grimaced when he stepped on his auto-mail leg. It was a good two or three inches shorter than his normal leg, and it caused him pain when he stepped on it._

_"Winry, I'm gonna need a new arm and leg." He said to the blond girl, who had just stepped out of her room. She was in a bathrobe she had brought with her, while Edward was still in his boxers. She nodded to him._

_"I noticed that they were a bit short for you. You have grown pretty tall since I started making you drink milk, Ed." Winry teased, and Ed glared at her playfully._

_"I still hate milk. It's gross." He said, and Winry giggled._

_"I know you do, but if it will make you grow taller, then you shouldn't complain. Besides, when you finally reach adulthood, you won't have to drink as much." She said, and Ed sighed in relief._

_"Thank goodness that is only a few years away." Winry giggled again. She motioned him to come into her room._

_"I got a tape measure in here. Let me measure you so I can start drawing out the blue-prints for your new limbs." She said. Ed followed her into her room. Most of the stuff she brought with her was still packed, and Ed suspected it would be like that for a while. Alphonse was currently setting the room put aside for him as a sparring room, with only a bed in there to keep people from suspecting that he didn't sleep. Ed stood next to Winry's bed as said blond rubbed her hair out and tossed the towel onto her bed frame. She picked up the tape measure on her dresser and walked over to Ed, pulling out the tape. Ed grabbed her wrist before she could start measuring._

_"Hold on. I have an idea." He said, and clapped his hands, before pressing them to his auto-leg. The metal lengthened by a few inches, and Ed felt the overall metal become thinner. He stepped on it gingerly, and noticed it was pretty close to even now. Winry pushed him, and he landed on the bed._

_"Now it will break even easier, dammit!" She said, as Ed laughed. He stood up and took a step toward Winry, putting an arm around her waist and pulling her against him._

_"I guess you'll have to make it fast then, right?" He said as he smiled. Winry blushed, Ed had never been this forward before. That was, until he pushed her on the bed and laughed. "That's payback." He said, and Winry growled. She reached up to grab him, but instead of grabbing his shoulder to push him back, she grabbed his hand. He smirked. "Oh, Win, if you wanted to hold my hand, you should have just said so." Winry let go with a 'hmph.' Ed sat next to her. "You know I just like to tease you."_

_"I know." She said. She still was faced away from him. That was, until he began to tickle her sides. She tried to fight it, but ended up giggling as she landed with her back on the bed, trying to escape. Ed pursued her, continuing to tickle her. Her knee came up to try to keep him away from her, and it hit him right in the stomach. Ed, who had not been expecting this, gasped in pain as he collapsed on top of Winry. He didn't move, even as Winry poked him. "Sorry! I'm sorry, Ed! I didn't mean to knee you!" She said, and he didn't respond. She noticed the way he had collapsed on top of her, and blushed heavily. He was lying between her now open legs, his head lying on her breasts. If anyone walked in, they would misinterpret what was going on, especially since Winry's robe had slipped somewhat, revealing that she was only wearing a tank-top and her panties, and the fact that Ed was in his boxers. She nudged him again, and she saw his hands come into a clap, before a chunk of wall shot out and closed the door for them. She laughed. "Wanting some privacy, Ed?" She asked, and he lifted his head off of her breasts and actually scooted up, so he was face to face with her._

_"A guy needs some privacy with his girlfriend every now and then." He said. "Its not like we got any privacy back on the ship." Winry giggled and nodded. Every time she and Ed had tried to get a moment's privacy, Alphonse would come in and interrupt them for one reason or another. Edward leaned in and whispered in her ear. "It's been four months since that day you kissed me. We haven't done anything since then. I think we need to play catch-up." Winry shivered as his lips brushed her cheek. Something told her she wasn't getting those measurements tonight._

-End Flashback-

Edward grinned at the thought. While they hadn't done the dirty, as Mustang would have put it, Ed could say that he had some experience with a woman now. Not that it mattered, if things turned out how he planned, he and Winry would end up together back in Central, Winry running her auto-mail shop, and Ed helping her with his alchemy.

"Ok, take your time. This arm and leg will do for now. Since I lengthened the leg, it shouldn't bother me too much for now." Ed said, idly using a toothpick while he glanced around. In the corner, there was four people talking and eating. One was a blond girl somewhat taller than Winry, with the same color of hair and a lighter shade of blue for her eyes. She was eating much, and was doing most of the talking. She was wearing a purple top and a purple skirt, with fishnet at the edges of both. She had her hair in a long pony-tail. Next to her was a man with dark brown hair in a pineapple shaped pony-tail. He was wearing a black shirt and black pants with a green vest over it. He was leaning on one elbow, looking out the window. Across from his was a man with long spiky brown hair. He was wearing a red shirt and red pants with metal strips attached to each, as well as an armored breast-plate. He was wearing a red headband with the same symbol on everyone's headband, which Ed had learned was the symbol for Konoha. He was eating more than any of the other three. The last was a man with dark brown hair and the beard-sideburns combination. He was dressed very similar to the way Kakashi was when they met him. He was smoking while listening to the girl and eating. Besides those four, there were not many other customers. Ed finished and left money on the table, and the other two followed. Just as they left, Kakashi appeared before them.

"Winry-san, Hokage-sama has requested your presence. Elric-sans, please come with me. You get to meet your new teammate today." He said, and they all nodded. Edward turned to see Kakashi and Alphonse's back already turned, and he leaned in and kissed Winry quickly before saying goodbye. She blushed slightly and whispered her goodbye as well, before walking toward the tower. Edward grinned as he turned, and when he turned, he saw Alphonse looking at him. Ed swore that if his brother had a body, he would have seen him raise his eyebrow in amusement.

"Shut up." Ed growled quietly as they followed Kakashi.

* * *

Winry arrived at the Hokage's tower, and made her way to the Hokage's office. When she stepped inside, she saw another girl standing there, turned toward her.

"Ah, Winry, good. This is Tenten Higurashi. Her family owns a smithy and an iron mine. I was just talking to her about supplying your new shop with materials." Tsunade said. "Tenten, this is Winry Rockbell, one of our three newest residents." Winry nodded to Tenten, who bowed.

"Winry-san, I heard that you are a mechanic, who works on special prosthetic limbs, which you call 'auto-mail.'" Tenten said, and Winry nodded. She pulled a set of blueprints out of her bag, and set them on the Hokage's desk. On the blueprints were various sketches of materials needed to make auto-mail.

"I need all of these made from a light-weight steel. Do you know how to make light-weight steel?" Winry asked, and Tenten nodded absentmindedly. "Good, anyway, all of this made from light-weight steel, to get the most of maneuverability and speed. If it is light-weight, then it will wear less on the user. Also, I will make it both heat and cold resistant. I need one leg set and one arm set immediately so I can replace Edward's arm and leg. He has grown too tall for his current set." Winry said, and Tenten looked up her.

"These... these are ingenious. I have never seen such a complete and perfect design. I will get our smiths to start their work immediately. Thank you, Winry-san." Tenten said, before smiling at Winry. "Who is Edward? Your boyfriend?" She said teasingly. Winry smiled serenely.

"Yes." She answered simply, and Tenten grinned.

"Ooh, I have to meet him then."

* * *

Edward and Alphonse followed Kakashi into what looked like a training ground. Two people were already there, a male and a female. The boy was the boy they had seen at the ramen shop the first day. He had bright blond hair and deep blue eyes filled with curiosity aimed at them. His black and orange jumpsuit was enhanced by the black headband bearing the hitai-ate with the Konoha Symbol on it. The other was a girl with pink hair, at which Edward wondered if that was her natural hair color, and green eyes. She wore a red top, a pink skirt with a pair of black shorts underneath, and pink elbow pads with black gloves. Her headband was red, and used as hair-band.

"Naruto, Sakura, this is Edward Elric, and his brother, Alphonse Elric. Edward, Alphonse, this is your new teammate, Naruto Uzumaki, and his former teammate, Sakura Haruno." Kakashi said as he read his book. Edward grinned.

"Hey." He said, trying to look cool. Alphonse just waved from behind him. Naruto and Sakura both turned to Kakashi, ignoring the Elric brothers.

"Kakashi-sensei, what do you mean 'former teammate!'" Sakura asked.

"Kakashi-sensei, I have to be stuck with a shrimp and a guy in armor? Who wears that kind of armor anymore?" Naruto whined. Naruto turned after sensing a huge amount of killing intent. He saw Edward, who currently had a very black look on his face.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING AN INSIGNIFICANT SHRIMP!" Ed yelled, and lunged at Naruto, only to be held back by Alphonse. Naruto hid behind Sakura.

"He's kind of scary." Naruto said, and Sakura sighed.

"Well, Naruto, Edward, Alphonse, I want to test your abilities out. Edward and Naruto will start. I want you two to fight with only hand-to-hand combat. No Jutsus or alchemy." Kakashi said, and Naruto scratched his head.

"What is alchemy?" He asked, and Kakashi shook his head.

"I'll explain later, Naruto. Get ready to fight." He said, and Naruto sat into a fighting stance. Edward prepared to fight as well. "Begin." Naruto started, charging at Ed with great speed. Edward grinned. It was no where near as fast as his master, Izumi. Naruto swung at Edward with a punch, in which Edward blocked with his auto-mail arm, and brought his other arm in Naruto's stomach. The opposing blond sank back in shock as Ed spun and delivered kick to Naruto's neck, sending the jinchuriki flying backwards onto the ground. Sakura looked shocked, as did Kakashi. Edward was skilled in taijutsu, almost as skilled as Kakashi himself, from what he had seen so far. Naruto got back up, and Ed went on the attack, kneeing Naruto in the face, before spinning and unleashing six punches into the blond's gut. Naruto stumbled back, and Ed swept his legs, before elbowing the now airborne Naruto in the sternum, sending him crashing into the earth. Naruto groaned and rolled to his feet.

"Kakashi-sensei, this guy is too good. I can't beat him with just Taijutsu." Naruto complained, and Kakashi sighed.

"Fine, I lift the restriction. Go crazy, you two. Alphonse, Sakura, I suggest you step back." Kakashi said as he jumped back. Naruto grinned and made a familiar hand seal.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" He cried, and twelve Narutos popped into existence. Ed frowned at this, and then waited back in his same fighting stance. Three Narutos rushed in, and Ed reacted, delivering a swift kick to the one on the right, before fending off attacks from the other. He used a quick alchemy clap, and turned his auto-mail hand into a blade. Naruto was surprised at this, but continued with his strategy. The real Naruto created a Rasengan as the rest of the clones moved to attack Ed. With his blade arm, he made quick work of the clones, before noticing the last was gone. He heard a cry, and barely dodged the resulting attack, watching the ball of energy crash into the earth, creating a big crater. Ed knew that he could not contend with that kind of power, so he instantly used another alchemy clap, and hit the ground. A cage of earth formed around Naruto, who grinned. "No way something this easy is gonna keep me down." Naruto said, and Ed smirked. He rushed in as Naruto created another Rasengan and destroyed the cage. Ed did another alchemy clap, and hit the ground right next to Naruto, which caused the earth to shoot up in rope form and tie itself around the blond. Naruto cursed.

"Those are some weird jutsu, Edward. You only clap your hand." Sakura said, and Alphonse nodded.

"It is called 'alchemy.' It is not ninjutsu at all, but the science of turning things into other things." Alphonse said in simple terms. Sakura nodded in awe. This alchemy certainly would be useful in medicine.

"So, Alphonse, I would assume that you are about as skilled as your brother?" Kakashi asked.

"No. Edward is a bit better at alchemy than I am, but I am better at hand-to-hand combat." He stated, and Kakashi nodded.

"You three could sweep the chunin exams with ease. With a little training for all three of you, you could probably even pass the jonin exams." Kakashi said. "Speaking of which, I will be your sensei until you three go through the chunin exams. I plan on getting three teachers for you, one who specializes in each major shinobi art. We will be going on C rank missions often."

"So, when do we start?" Ed asked, releasing Naruto from his bonds.

* * *

I decided to end it there for now. More excitement next chapter, and I might do a small time skip in a few chapters.

For the first poll of A Foreign Land

What excitement should I put into the chunin exams?

1. Akatsuki attack

2. Very powerful opposing team

3. Internal team struggles

4. New exam types

Vote, oh, and R&R please!


	4. Rockbell AutoMail and Training

Sorry about the delay, working two jobs and doing stuff for the Navy all the time makes me a busy man.

"Speech"

_Thought_

**"Demon Speech"**

"Jutsu Name"

* * *

It was huge. Winry stood in awe as she stared at the abandoned shop Tsunade had given her for her auto-mail shop, and it was a two story building. Tsunade already had a couple teams of genin painting it and moving things in and out of it. One of the genin was just finishing the name that Tsunade and Winry had agreed to. **ROCKBELL AUTO-MAIL**, it said in bright and bold gold letters. The shop was being painted with metallic silver auto-mail pictures on the front while the rest of the building was being painted a gray color. Winry grinned at the shop. Soon enough, she would have a couple of examples sitting in the windows. Auto-mail had always been Winry's passion, and now her passion was coming to fruit. She was hoping to become successful and have a bunch of money and experience when they went back to Amestris, whenever they would return. When Tsunade had been explaining chakra and Ninjutsu to the Elric brothers, they had been shooting looks at one another like they had a plan. Winry would guess that they were going to try to use chakra as a sacrifice for restoring their bodies.

She shrugged and glanced at the woman to her left. Tenten Higurashi was speaking to one of her father's business suppliers, showing them the list of what she, and in the end Winry, needed for the shop. Tenten was her father's representative, since Kuroda was almost always busy during the day, since he was a renowned smith who made only the best equipment for the ANBU and Jonin ranking shinobi, as they were the only ones who could afford his products.

"Tenten-san, how soon can you get me an arm and a leg? Edward won't be patient forever, you know." Winry said to Tenten, who turned to her and shifted the scroll on her back up a bit.

"No, I don't know, because I haven't met the kid yet." Tenten said with a smirk, and Winry waved her hand dismissively at the kunoichi. It was then that a loud yell was heard from down the street.

"TENTEN! HEY TENTEN!" Winry and said kunoichi both turned to the source of the noise, to see the blonde girl who had been in the barbecue place with the three guys they had seen earlier. She was dragging someone behind, who was dressed in all green and orange. Winry winced at the clashing colors. The girl stopped next to Winry and let go of the clearly unconscious boy. He had a bowl cut and thick eyebrows. "Lee was ranting on about Neji being hip and something about youth, and Neji snapped and knocked Lee unconscious, and was just going to leave him there in the middle of the road. I was going to take him to his apartment, but I don't know where he lives." The girl said, and Tenten giggled and shook her head.

"I knew Neji-kun would eventually do that. Lee has been bothering him all week about a rematch to their last spar. Ok, I'll take him to his place. Ino, have you met our newest resident? This is Winry Rockbell, owner of the newly founded Rockbell Auto-mail shop. Winry, this is Ino Yamanaka, an accomplished medic kunoichi and an interrogation specialist." Tenten introduced the two, and then threw Lee's unconscious body over her shoulder and started to walk away. She waved back at them. "Get along now, you two."

Ino was the first speak. "My family also owns the local flower shop. So, Winry-chan, what is auto-mail?" Winry smiled slightly.

"Auto-mail is a form of prosthetic limb that is enhanced to withstand heavy movement and combat. It is often suited with weapons, and, unlike normal prosthetic limbs, auto-mail responds to the nerves, so it moves just as well as a normal limb. Hokage-sama commissioned me to start this shop in order to give shinobi who's careers were ended because of lost limbs an option to get back into the fray." Winry said, and Ino smiled.

"That's really cool. I have a cousin who lost his arm on a mission, and he always wants to get back out into the mission field." Ino said, and Winry smiled sadly.

"The procedure to prepare a body for auto-mail is long and extremely painful. It will make the person throw up blood. Edward, my boyfriend, lost two of his limbs during a war in our homeland, and replaced both of them with auto-mail. After the initial procedure, the person has to go through physical therapy, which can take up to two years, in order to regain their ability to move. However, the auto-mail I will be making is much stronger than steel, and is about as light as a normal limb, as well as chakra sensitive so the user can still use ninjutsu." Winry explained, and Ino nodded.

"Sounds like you really have to be committed to getting these replacement limbs." Ino said while looking at the shop. It was coming along nicely, but she thought it could use some plants to make it less stark and bare. She turned to Winry. "I can help you design the interior of this place. Since my family owns the flower shop, we can get you some plants for cheap." Ino said.

"Thank you, Ino-san. That would be most appreciated." Winry said with a small smile. Winry was currently wearing her black tube-top and a pair of jeans, with a black bandanna on over her hair, but it was a hot day, so she was considering removing the bandanna.

"So, Winry, are you a kunoichi?" Ino asked, and Winry shook her head.

"No, but starting tomorrow, I will be attending the academy to learn some shinobi skills. I probably won't be able to catch up with you or Tenten-san, but I am tired of my boyfriend having to protect me, so I want to learn to protect myself." Winry said, her fists clenching in thought of being weak.

"So Edward-san is a shinobi?" Ino asked, and Winry hesitated for a moment, before nodding.

"Yes, he and his brother Alphonse are both shinobi. They just recently got placed onto a team with a person named Naruto." Ino laughed at that. Naruto would not take being placed on a different team well.

"I know Naruto well. He is a baka, but he is a good guy and will go along with being placed on a new team well enough for now."

* * *

(In Amestris)

Brigadier General Roy Mustang sat behind his desk, cursing slightly while reading a report. Things had really gone to shit since the Elrics had left. While the homunculi hadn't completed their plan to turn Amestris into a giant philosopher's stone, they had been working to keep anyone off of their tail. First Lt. Riza Hawkeye had been gravely injured by the homunculus Lust in a battle, though Mustang had killed the creature. Riza survived, but only just. She was still in recovery, and Mustang visited her almost daily. Mustang's personal group had been separated since the Elric brothers left, with only Mustang himself and Hawkeye left in Central. Mustang had been able to keep the Rockbell girl's grandmother safe, as well as Izumi Curtis and her husband. He had even managed to keep the creature known as 'Father' from learning where the Elrics had gone. Hohenheim had revealed himself to Mustang, and they had been secretly working together, trying to find a way to stop the Homunculi's plans from coming to fruition. With two of 'Father's' pieces out of play, he could not enact his plan, plus he needed one more person who had seen the 'gate of truth.'

Mustang wondered if the two twerps were getting stronger in whatever land they had gone to. In the meantime, Amestris had declared war on Aerugo, and they had been fighting almost non-stop since 'Father' had found out the Elrics had left. Mustang guessed it was to distract the military and the citizens from anything going on within their own country. Mustang had already determined that they would not actually be taking any land from Aerugo, they were simply doing it to fight. Sighing, he tossed the report into the 'in' basket and wondered when this hell would end. There were two homunculus dead, and only five left. He had identified three. He had discovered that the one named Envy had slain Maes Hughes, his best friend, under the disguise of Maria Ross. He was glad now that he did not actually kill the woman, who had taken safety in Xing. He had already met Gluttony, and he had discovered that President Bradley was the homunculus Wrath. He had a suspicion that Selim Bradley was a homunculus, but he was uncertain.

_ Edward, Alphonse, return soon. They will only act when you return, and then we can catch them._

_

* * *

_

Edward was currently deadpanned, looking at this freak of a man. If Alphonse had facial expressions, he would be deadpanned as well. It was fortunate Kakashi was reading his book, or Edward was sure the Cyclops shinobi would have murdered the man by now. The man in front of them was wearing all green, except for orange leg warmers. He had a perfect bowl cut and large, bushy eyebrows. He kept raving on about youth and a rivalry with Kakashi. Naruto was grinning and participating in the man's hi-jinxes. Ed leaned in next to Kakashi and whispered.

"Is this guy serious?" Ed asked, and Kakashi nodded without looking up from his book.

"Unfortunately, yes. I have been putting up with this for seventeen years." Kakashi said, and Ed twitched slightly at that fact. It was like Major Armstrong, but ten times worse. Ed thought that the two might get along well.

"So why is he here?" Alphonse asked in a tentative voice. Kakashi sighed and snapped his book closed.

"He is here more for Naruto's sake than yours, but he is here to teach you three taijutsu, or hand-to-hand combat, since he IS Konoha's premier taijutsu expert." Kakashi explained, and Ed twitched.

"This guy has to be our teacher? I think I prefer Master." Ed says, and Alphonse let loose a small laugh.

"I think I do too. And Master is evil. And crazy." Alphonse commented. The man suddenly jumped in front of them.

"YOSH! I AM GAI MAITO! I WILL BE TEACHING YOU THREE TAIJUTSU!" Gai yelled. Ed and Al sweat-dropped at the yelling. Naruto, however, was excited.

"Will I get as good as you, Bushy-brows-sensei?" He asked, grinning at the thought of doing all kinds of awesome taijutsu and using it to bring Sasuke back. Gai grinned and did his 'good guy' pose.

"Someday, Naruto, you will be as good as Lee! With your shadow clone technique, it may be fairly quickly!" Gai said. Naruto frowned and looked at Kakashi with a questioning look on his face.

"Ma, Ma, what does he mean, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked, and Kakashi shrugged.

"When a shadow clone disperses, it takes all knowledge it gained back to the owner. Basically, let's say you make a shadow clone. Then you send the clone out into the forest as a scout. The clone is destroyed by a Nuke-nin(Missing nin). You would suddenly know that the nuke-nin is out there." Kakashi explained. "This can be used on a variety of different areas, such as knowledge of taijutsu, ninjutsu, and genjutsu, as well as improving chakra control and gaining combat experience. However, the clones cannot transfer physical abilities, so the user would have to increase strength, speed, and chakra on their own." Naruto grinned at this.

"So I can learn jutsu super fast?" Naruto asked, and Kakashi nodded. "I knew that it was my favorite technique for a reason." Edward grinned at the thought of this technique.

"Can I learn this shadow-clone technique?" Ed asked, and Kakashi shrugged.

"I don't see why not, since you are Konoha genin now. I could teach you both while Gai goes over basic taijutsu with Naruto." Kakashi said, and took the brothers off to the side while Naruto and Gai began to train with a few hundred Naruto shadow clones.

* * *

When Ed got home that night, he was exhausted. He had worked long and hard that day, sparring off and on and learning new techniques from Gai. Kakashi had tested the two for their chakra capabilities, and had discovered Alphonse could not use chakra. Kakashi was surprised, but not disappointed. He had told the boy that there was another shinobi who could not use chakra as well, and he was progressing just fine as a taijutsu specialist. Alphonse suspected that he couldn't use chakra because he didn't have a body, and thus no chakra coils, since using chakra was not just knowledge like alchemy was.

Ed, on the other hand, was a different story. Kakashi had discovered the boy had substantial chakra already, probably from all the training they had gone through up to that point, though his control was terrible. Kakashi had told him that his chakra was on par with his own, which was saying a lot since Kakashi was a jonin. Kakashi had set him to doing chakra control exercises with his clones at least an hour a day, so he could increase his control at a substantial rate. Alphonse wondered if he would have to train his chakra when he got his body back. Since the discovery of chakra to the boys, Edward had been studying on the uses of chakra, and seeing if he could possibly use it as a sacrifice to recreate Al's body as well as his own arm and leg. Ed fell onto his bed and kick his boots off, sighing in relief. He turned to see Winry standing in the doorway, smiling at him.

"Rough day?" Winry asked, and Edward nodded slightly. He had learned the shadow clone technique pretty easily, and used the rest of the day using shadow clones to learn a new hand-to-hand style from Gai. He was both chakra and physically exhausted.

"Pretty intense." Ed said, and Winry sat next to her boyfriend, putting her hand on his leg as she smiled.

"Well, that's good, right?" She asked, and Ed nodded. "I got my shop set up, and a girl named Ino said she would help me organize the inside after the Academy tomorrow. Her family owns the local flower shop." Winry told him. Ed smiled.

"That's nice of her. Hey, Win?"

"Yeah, Ed?"

"If I can figure out how to use chakra in transmutations, I'm going to get Al his body back, and get my limbs back. I don't know how long I want to stay here, but eventually we are going to return to Amestris, and I don't want to go back until we have our bodies back. And I kind of like this place. It seems small town and less hustle and bustle than Amestris, and the people are friendly, and the government isn't trying to kill me." He said that last sentence in a joking manner. Winry chuckled and lay down next to her boyfriend.

"I like this place too. We can go back and finish what needs to be finished, but I wouldn't mind living here. Maybe bring Grandma or the Curtis family here." Winry said, and Ed nodded.

"Sounds like a plan, Win." Ed sat up on his arm and pressed a kiss into his girlfriend's lips.

* * *

"Team Asuma, you have your mission. Along with Izumo and Kotetsu, you will track down and kill or capture the Akatsuki members that destroyed the Temple of Fire. I want carefully executed plans! Fighting Akatsuki is extremely dangerous and I want NO casualties. Understood?" Tsunade asked, and the six members of the Akatsuki assassination team nodded.

"Hai, Hokage-sama!"

* * *

The next day, Naruto began his elemental training with Kakashi and Yamato, while Edward, Winry, and Alphonse attended the academy for basic lessons on chakra and ninjutsu. A chunin with a X shaped scar across his nose was their teacher, and he introduced himself to the new students as Iruka Umino.

"Class, we have three new students today. This is Edward Elric, a genin who recently became a citizen from a distant land where they don't use ninjutsu." Edward nodded to the class, looking semi-bored. Winry glared at her boyfriend for being rude. "This is his brother, Alphonse. These two were in the military of their homeland and are skilled in hand-to-hand combat. This is their friend, Winry, who is new to fighting all together, so she is on your level." Iruka introduced. The latter of the two bowed. Many of the girls in the class stared at Edward with hearts in their eyes. They had never seen such luscious blonde hair, such golden brown eyes. Iruka could already tell that Edward was going to be this year's fan-girl favorite. Unknown to Iruka, Edward was not like Sasuke or Neji. He would not be cool towards all them, he would let it go to his head. The three took their seats near the back. Winry was the most prepared of the three, having brought a notebook and notepad. Edward was currently lying face down on his desk, with Alphonse glancing nervously at his brother every now and then while listening intently.

"ELRIC-SAN! Please do not sleep in my class." Iruka yelled, and Edward waved a hand at him.

"I'm listening, Iruka-sensei." Edward said, not even moving from his position. Iruka glared up at the boy.

"Ok, what did I say?" Ed sighed and sat up.

"Chakra is essential to even the most basic jutsu; it is a mixture of the physical energy present in every cell of the body and the spiritual energy gained from exercise and experience. Once mixed, it can be channeled through the chakra circulatory system, which is to chakra as the regular circulatory system is to blood, to any of the 361 chakra points, called tenketsu, in the body. Through various methods, the most common of which is hand seals, the chakra can then be manipulated to create an effect that would not be possible otherwise, such as walking on water, exhaling fire or creating illusions." Edward said verbatim. Iruka's eye twitched and he went back to teaching. This would be a long day.

* * *

There you go. I'll try to update soon, I'm just kind of busy all the time.

I need a beta-reader. Please review if you are interested. Also, feel free to review with ideas you would like to see in the fic.

Here is a good challenge for you avid fanfiction authors.

I want to see a good fanfic featuring Haruno Sakura as the main character.

Criteria

1. Start from right after the Sasuke Retrieval Arc

2. High-powered, though not super-powered Sakura. No bloodlines, conventional strength. Make her gain some serious genjutsu skills or become a female Gai in terms of taijutsu ability or something.

3. No Pairings with Sakura and anyone outside of Konoha, mostly because it doesn't make sense(Sasuke withstanding, obviously there is some basis in SasuSaku)

4. Sakura should be equal or slightly stronger than Naruto when he returns(if you decide for Naruto to leave at all), but in canon equivalent, make Sakura about that strength, and, by the time the Pein invasion arc would roll around in Canon, maybe make her around the strength of Naruto at that time. Obviously Naruto is a special case in the fact that his strength skyrocketed, but I'd like to see Sakura get some similar treatment.

5. You do NOT have to make Sakura go through Tsunade's apprenticeship, though you can if you want to. Someone else should though. Though, for all I care, you can make Sakura a female Naruto, with the stamina and shadow clone fetish if you want, I don't care.

6. Please keep pretty close to canon starting in Shippuden, except where a super-strong Sakura would make a huge difference. The two and half years between the start of the fanfic and the start shippuden are free reign though.

Bonus points for humor within a serious story.

The reason I pose this challenge is because I am tired of Sakura's role in the manga as a weak little girl to be protected and rescued by Kakashi and Naruto all the time. She hasn't had a badass moment since the Rescue Gaara arc, and she is long overdue. Lemme know if/when you post the first chapter up.


	5. Update

FYI, this story is on permanent hiatus. I don't have the patience or the muse to finish it. I will someday, I promise, but I'll probably rewrite the first four chapters first.

I'm working on a new story where Sakura is the main character. Some of you don't like Sakura, I know, but I feel like she is a character that had a lot of potential and Kishimoto just kind of wasted it.

Until next time, with love, Shadowchild423


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